"We've been struggling here all day and just can't seem to get a grasp on it," said Busch, who was 33rd-fastest in the practice session before qualifying (with a lap of 31.569 seconds/171.054 mph). "We leaned on our teammates and tried out their qualifying setup at the end of practice. It was all I could do to hang on out there in our qualifying run. We're behind the eight ball right now, but we never give up. Tomorrow will be a better day here, I'm confident of that."

The battle for the Coors Light Pole came down to a trio of Hendrick Motorsports drivers, but probably not the three most folks would assume. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson had already made their runs when the attention turned to other members of the Hendrick stable. Dale Earnhardt Jr., out 25th in the order, turned in a lap of 30.808 seconds (175.279 mph). That knocked Tony Stewart (out first with a lap of 30.850 seconds/175.041 mph) from the top spot. But four drivers later, it was Mark Martin turning in a fast lap of 30.724 seconds (175.758 mph) to claim his seventh pole of the 2009 season and the 48th of his illustrious career.

Brad Keselowski, set to move to Penske Racing for the 2010 season, put a third Hendrick car into the third starting spot with a qualifying lap of 30.821 seconds (175.205 mph). Jamie McMurray snuck in a lap of 30.822 seconds (175.200 mph) to take the fourth starting spot, with Stewart's early lap hanging on to earn him the fifth starting spot.

"The wind has been such a huge challenge here today," crew chief Pat Tryson added. "During practice, you never could get a consistent read with the wind gusts blowing the car everywhere. The good news is that the wind is supposed to die down, so hopefully we can get in some good practice sessions here tomorrow."

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Cars owned and prepared by Team Penske have produced more than 470 major race wins, over 540 pole positions and 32 Championships across open-wheel, stock car and sports car racing competition. Over the course of its 52-year history, the team has also earned 16 Indianapolis 500 victories, two Daytona 500 Championships, a Formula 1 win and overall victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. For 2018, Team Penske will compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR XFINITY Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The team also races in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, in a partnership with Dick Johnson Racing, as DJR Team Penske.